wowsers, 200 followers and a giveaway!

Last week my little blog made it to 200 followers! Thank you wonderful peeps for visiting this space, for sharing your stories with me via your comments, and for showing me so much bloggie love! The thought that anyone else other than my family and friends would ever have any interest in what I write is truly flattering.

To celebrate your loveliness, here's a special something just for you. Cassandra Allen, an Australian born artist specialising in children's books and illustrations, is generously offering one Smallesthings reader the chance to win a print from her shop! That's right, you get to pick whatever one print you prefer from her entire shop - lucky you. And if don't have kids, don't forget this would make the perfect gift (for your nieces, nephews, godchildren, best friend's baby shower, etc.!).

✭✭✭For a chance to win this awesome giveaway, please visit Cassandra's shop and leave a comment below before Sunday telling us your favourite print. The winner will be announced next week.✭✭✭

Good luck everyone. And if you'd like to say 'hello' to the talented artist or follow her Swiss adventures (Cassandra is also a cooking/knitting/crochet/DIY queen + a busy mum!), it's this way to her blog.

Les retardataires.

These little beauties are Christmas gifts I received a couple of  weeks ago from my Franglais bro-in-law. After spending several weeks stuck in the middle of nowhere due to the heavy snow storms, they finally made it to Paris. Thanks a lot L's uncle for the gorgeous necklace by Elephantine and for the stylish iPhone case by Nimoo :)

images ©elephantine / ©Nimoo

Soft toys for wee ones.

My dears, these days I am still finding it hard to write any kind of post. After putting baby L. to bed and having a quick dinner, I have only just about started to read your lovely blogs when the bags under my eyes start to weigh me down so much, I have to crawl into bed myself a couple of hours later. I don't know when slower-paced work days will be back but I am hoping soonish and with that, more regular posts on Smallesthings. In the meantime, I will try to keep my word and share with you some of the lovely gifts my little L. has received since he was born. Today, it's all about soft toys...



Walrus rattle, by Brio. This was one of baby L.'s favourite toy from 2-5 months. It is soft, easy to hold, and teething baby likes to chew of Walrus' long teeth! Definitely the coolest rattle I've seen so far. A present from our friends in Berlin.


Handmade crocheted elephant, by Anne-Clair Petit. A gift by Mr. Franglais to our wee one.



Dragobert, by Moulin Roty. A quirky and very colourful rattle that babies can easily hold and play with.



Duck soother, by Jellycat. This is baby L.'s doudou (it comes with us everywhere). Our friends who bought it for Liam got the same soother when their son was born a couple of years ago and it immediately became his doudou so they decided to give L. the same prezzie.


Éléphant, by Histoire d'Ours. This little guy is so soft and cuddly, and looks perfect in L.'s nursery.



Sophie, by Steiff. A German designer bear from L.'s great auntie in England; and a Peter Rabbit rattle, from L.'s sweet godmother in London.



Dream Bear, by Nattou. This was probably the gift that touched me the most because it was sent from my piano teacher in Normandy with whom I'd lost touch for over 10 years and only recently found again. We use this bear all time at nap- and bedtime because it plays the most adorable music. It also has ribbons on the back so that you can tie it to your little one's cot. A small and perfect gift for any baby.

Hope you liked this selection. Bonne nuit les amis et à demain!

27 weeks of prezzies.

On Tuesday, baby L. was 28 weeks and just this morning I realised we reached that moment. That week. The one that baby L. finally spent without receiving a present. I'm not complaining, no. I simply cannot believe the boy has actually had 27 weeks of non-stop gifts. It is surreal. He probably has more clothes now than he'll ever have when he's older. No, seriously. I haven't exactly counted but since he was born, he's received over a dozen pairs overalls, trousers, shorts, socks, shoes, and hats, including countless onesies and PJs. I cannot thank everyone enough for their overwhelming generosity towards the birth of our baby boy. So I have decided to dedicate all next week's posts to these amazing prezzies (well, just a selection of them otherwise I'll be posting till Xmas) as you may just well be interested in some of this baby gear we have received.

Bon week-end!

Jellycat.

I am amazed that since baby L. was born, he has not spent a single week in his life without opening a new gift. Our friends, family and colleagues are spoiling the boy rotten. One of the many great prezzies he has received so far is a Jellycat soother, perfect for newborn babies. It is so soft and cuddly, he adores falling asleep with it. I love the quirkiness of these soft toys so much, I am already thinking about getting him a couple more cuddlies for when he is a little older. I find these ones hard to resist, don't you?








As a UK based toy manufacturer founded in 1999, Jellycat has become one of the leading producers of soft toys worldwide. Quite an impressive performance in just a decade of existence.

Suck UK.

If you are looking for an original gift or something fun for yourself, Suck UK is hard to resist. Below, some favourite items:


Giant Wooden Bulb


Weirdly wonderful Teddy Bear Lamp


Clocky - the alarm clock that runs away beeping to get you out of bed (what I needed before having a baby).




Xmas pudding & Goldfish Happy Sacks Bin Bags


Solar powered lamp Sun Jar

Absorba.

©LaFranglaise

Baby L. finally fits in his sleepsuit by Absorba, a classic and affordable French brand for babies and toddlers (I was dressed in Absorba clothes when I was little). Below are a few of my favourite vintage items, a collection designed in 2009 to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.

Cowshed - made in the UK.

photos ©LaFranglaise

Knackered cow...that would be me! Our wonderful friends from London were visiting us in Paris a few weeks back to meet baby L. and they treated me to these amusing bath and body products. Every Cowshed product is 100% natural, allowing pregnant or nursing mothers to use safely (a small organic range for babies is also available). You can shop according to your mood: horny cow, lazy cow, knackered cow, grumpy cow, wild cow, and moody cow! If you do not have a store near you, you can shop on line as Cowshed delivers internationally. I simply love the concept. Those cheeky names make me chuckle.

My belated birthday present.

Just used my birthday gift voucher: a 1h15 massage at l'Espace Weleda. True BLISS!

Espace Weleda: 10 ave Franklin D. Roosevelt, 75008 Paris

-- Post From My iPhone

Petit Bateau

photo ©LaFranglaise

And here are the PJ's baby L. is wearing in the photos. They are from Petit Bateau, a classic French brand.

Made in USA.

©LaFranglaiseAs it is custom at the moment, baby L. has once again been showered with presents. This time, it was American Apparel outfits... for babies! I had only a couple of times walked in an American Apparel shop in Paris and never noticed the baby/kids corner. Probably because back then, before being pregnant and having my son, I was not yet equipped with my powerful baby radar (nowadays, it's beyond my control. I cannot go anywhere without spotting baby shops!). The Los Angeles based brand which is well-known for making fashionable basic cotton knitwear with flashy colours and no visible logo arrived in France in 2004 and today, there are seven shops in Paris alone. Despite all their worldwide locations, American Apparel does not outsource its labour, making it one of the very few brands exporting "Made in USA". As I returned to the first ever shop that oppened in Paris @ Marché St. Honoré, I could hardly resist buying some more outfits for baby L. You can check out the online store here, where they not only have clothes for men, women, children and babies but also...dogs! Only in America. Woof!